Elizabeth, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

110(A) of the Elizabeth City Code fixes yard dimensions for one- and two-family dwellings citywide. The front yard must be at least 20 feet, measured from the street line to the most outward front building projection, though a builder may go tighter if that shorter distance is the prevailing setback based on 65 percent of the existing properties on the block. Side yards must equal at least 12 percent of the required lot width but never drop below 3 feet, and any two structures that abut across a lot line must still keep 5 feet between them under what the code calls the fireman's rule.

Rear yards must be 25 percent of lot depth, with a 25-foot floor, measured to the most outward rear building projection. Corner lots are treated as having two front yards, one rear yard and one side yard: both street frontages carry the 20-foot front-yard standard, the interior side yard follows the standard 12-percent rule, and the corner side yard must be at least 15 feet, rising to 18 feet where a driveway sits in that yard. Non-residential lots follow a separate track: the front yard is whatever is prevailing on the block or 20 feet if no prevailing pattern exists, the side yard is 10 percent of lot width capped at 20 feet, and the rear yard is 25 feet, jumping to 35 feet when the lot backs up to a residential zone. 110(B), provided they stay 2 to 3 feet off the property line.